1st metro train of 4th phase of 3rd line enters service in Cairo: National Authority for Tunnels

The first underground metro train of the fourth phase of the third metro line entered service on Saturday departing from Shams Club Station at 5:00 a.m. to Al Ahram Station in Heliopolis passing through Attaba Station.

The National Authority for Tunnels(NAT) declared that the construction works and equipment of Haroun Al Rasheed Station in Heliopolis will be finished by October. That is the third station of the fourth phase of the third metro line. The train will pass through it but not stop there.

Commuters used to drop off at Attaba station in the second line and then take another means of transportation, like micro-buses, to go to Heliopolis. The air-conditioned metro cars of the third line, running from Attaba to Korba, are believed to make the ride to Heliopolis cheaper, faster and more convenient.

That phase extends from Haroun Al Rasheed Street to Shams Club and comprises three stations stretching over four kilometers in Heliopolis. The cost of this phase is LE6.2 billion. Construction and equipment of such phase was over earlier this year but testing of the operation, signalling and control systems was being carried out to ensure safety.

The third line with its four phases will eliminate nearly two million daily commutes taking place above the ground. As such, Cairo’s traffic congestion will be reduced and the duration of commutes will be shortened saving LE 250 million ($14.2 million) in the cost of public transportation buses. The project will save up to LE 2.72 billion a year overall. The third line includes 10 stations and has a total length of 15.8 km.

The third phase of the third metro line will connect the working-class districts of Attaba, Bulaq and Imbaba with Cairo University in Giza. The phase will also pass through well-off neighborhoods like Zamalek, Mohandiseen and Agouza. The construction work of the 18-kilometer phase officially started in 2017; it includes 15 stops, including Zamalek.

Around 3.5 million citizens in Cairo use the metro every day. Launched in 1987, the metro has since become the most important means of transportation in Cairo.

Female commuters can either choose to take the non-segregated cars or use the women-only carriages. Within the 2030 Vision, it is planned that Greater Cairo houses six metro lines.